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Saturday, April 4, 2015

Smallest Vessels

Sitting on
the balcony of our hotel overlooking the St. Lawrence River just after dawn on
vacation last summer I saw first a large freighter glide through the water, motor
giving off a low rumble and some gently lapping waves in its wake.Shortly after that a small motor boat zipped
by, the loudness of its motor and the violence of the waves in its wake in
sharp contrast to both the quiet of the early hour and what was left by the
tanker.In my notes that day I wrote the
following sentence: “The smallest vessels leave the biggest wake.” I find this is
often true when I think about life events.

Those gentle wakes left by the big events of life are long lasting and change
the course we are taking on the journey.Something such as getting married is like a big freighter with low rumbling
motor staying steady in its trip down river toward the ocean, surviving the
rains and winds of life, and occasionally being rocked by the wake of the
smaller, faster boats. Still, it’s steady and true in its movements.The smaller craft, with their noisy motors
and erratic movements in comparison demand immediate attention. Things such as
illnesses, children, job losses, and even holidays are like those smaller vessels.They demand attention; they make the waters
choppy and harder to navigate.Too many
of them at one time can threaten to sink a larger ship if the captain and crew
aren’t attentive.

By far the
smallest vessels in my life are my children.They both produced the largest wakes and have changed the course of our
voyage; we have nearly been knocked off course by their wakes many times.One speeds ahead, cutting in and out of our
path, while the other simply runs alongside, keeping us constantly aware of her
presence.They have both escorted us to
places we would never have thought to go, but which turned out to be the most interesting
and growth inducing.

Inspiration
comes from many places, and notes written on a summer vacation, forgotten then
found on a cold spring Saturday morning can inspire some deep thought.Like a pebble in a puddle, or a small vessel
early in the day on a quiet river.